5 Travel Hacks to Book Cheap Business-Class Flights

Published on Oct. 21, 2024

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KEY POINTS

• Open a travel rewards card so you can pay for flights in points instead of cash.
• Take advantage of limited-time flight deals and promo fares.
• Be flexible about when and even where you fly so you can choose the flights with the lowest prices.

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Flying business class is exciting, but airlines usually charge a pretty penny for it. On long flights, a roundtrip ticket in business class could easily cost $3,000 to $5,000. Those lie-flat seats and delicious meals don’t come cheap.

Except sometimes, business class does come cheap. With the right travel hacks, you could book luxurious business-class flights at a fraction of the usual cost.

1. Use travel rewards to book an award flight

My method of choice for booking business class is using airline miles instead of cash. You only need to pay taxes and fees, so you save what the entire business-class fare would’ve cost. To give you an example, I booked two business-class tickets earlier this year for 154,000 miles plus $525 in taxes and fees. In cash, it would’ve cost me $6,212!

But how do you get all those miles? With travel credit cards, you can earn rewards on your credit card spending. These cards often have big sign-up bonuses for new cardholders, too. And many of them let you transfer the rewards you earn to a dozen or more airlines, converting them into miles with the airline you choose.

I love to fly business class, and thanks to travel cards, I get to do it every year while saving thousands of dollars. If you want to do the same, click here to see our curated list of the top travel cards.

2. Book economy and upgrade it later

When airlines have unsold business-class seats, they generally start offering upgrades as it gets close to the departure date. Some airlines will let you upgrade for a flat fee. Others have a bidding system. You enter the amount you’re willing to pay for an upgrade, and the airline decides whether to accept it.

Upgrading from economy is often a much cheaper path into business class than booking it from the beginning. The tradeoff is that upgrades aren’t always available. But if you’re open to flying in either cabin, you may want to book economy first to save money, and then keep an eye out for upgrade opportunities.

3. Shop around for special offers

Business class may be luxurious, but it can still go on sale. One way to find cheap business-class flights is to check an airline’s deals page. For example, Delta and United both have deals pages where you can search for business-class flights flying out of your home airport.

You could also look for special offers or promo fares during your flight searches. That’s how I stumbled on a business-class flight with Air France for just $1,200, compared to a normal price of $1,800.

There are often special offers for award tickets, too. If you’re planning to book with rewards you’ve earned using your credit cards, it’s still worthwhile to go deal hunting.

4. Find the best days to fly with low-fare calendars

One of my favorite tools as I shop for airfare is low-fare calendars. Many airlines have these, which show you a range of dates and the lowest flight prices on each date. If you’re looking specifically for business-class flights, you can specify that to see business-class prices. And you can shop in either cash or miles, depending on how you’re planning to pay.

For flexible travelers, low-fare calendars make it easy to find the most affordable travel dates. If possible, try to keep a range of dates open so you can choose the one with the best deals.

5. Try an anywhere flight search to find affordable destinations

If you’re flexible about where you fly, some online travel portals let you leave your destination open. You enter your home airport, travel dates, and select business class, and you’ll get a list of destinations with flight prices to each one.

Google Flights and Skyscanner both offer this feature. Skyscanner even reports that half of its users come without a specific destination in mind. It’s a fun way to find new places to travel, while getting a good deal in the process.

You can avoid paying sky-high prices for business class. Give these travel hacks a try for a more enjoyable flight experience that doesn’t break the bank.